The Mausoleum of Said Allauddin

In the historical part of Khiva, in Ichankala, there is one of the oldest buildings in the city – the Mausoleum of Said Allauddin, a famous saint and Sufi sheikh in the East. During its centuries-old history, it has been restored more than once, and the exact date of the tomb construction is unknown, but, according to historians, the construction was completed in the second half of the XIV century.

Said Allauddin, being a relative of the Prophet Muhammad, preached Islam in Khiva at the end of the 13th century, and died in 1303. Half a century later, a mausoleum was built on the grave of the saint, the architect of which is considered to be Amir Kulyala. Since then, this place has become one of the pilgrimage centers for many believers from all over the world.

According to its architecture, the mausoleum does not differ in its richness of forms and decoration: the walls and domes are made of brick, and they are not lined in any way, there are no decorative elements, everything is made in an ascetic style. In the 19th century, a small square building (ziyarathona) was added to the mausoleum, as a result of which the entrance to the mausoleum is located from the north. Perhaps the original building had some kind of decoration (during the excavations, some elements of decorative ceramics were found), but due to the many alterations, they were not preserved. But despite its simple appearance, thousands of pilgrims from Uzbekistan and other countries visit Said Allauddin's mausoleum every year.